The Darkness Prologue

The Darkness

The full moon reflecting from cold, silent waters illuminates a high, crumbling wall. Fiery lightning cuts through the solid black of night. Forks disappear behind the looming, bone white walls. Electricity dances through the deep still lake that surrounds the already impenetrable, gothic fortress and bats flit between thin windows, their squeaks eerily joining the howls of wolves. Isolated, as they were, the animal’s cries echo through the valley, seemingly unheard by human ears Suddenly, the clouds split and a blinding light sped forth. It sliced down the battlements like an executioners blade and with a mighty crack the tower’s foundations turned to dust, the turret slid away from the main body towards the lake. A lantern’s hollow smash threw itself from a window before flames leapt up in the tower. High-pitched cries of a baby in pained fear followed the sinking stone.

A shadow emerged from nowhere and ran in a panic along the stone building. The flagpole snapped and the colourful banner fluttered down to splash unnoticed into the lake. Fire exploded from the top of the spire and lit the face of a hooded woman, the shadow, as she sped over the meter wide gap into the burning tower. The baby’s crying was obliterated by the violent thunderclaps.

The falling tower groaned painfully and submitted to the pull of gravity. Stone plummeted into the black waters below to disappear forever. All at once the whole tower dropped and created a giant wave that gathered momentum and height until it hit the ancient, wooden drawbridge that snapped in two.

They journeyed along a track towards a vast, forbidding castle. Two men huddled in a swaying carriage pulled by six ghostly horses. Outside the wooden doors they could see black and nothing more, pine branches brushed insistently against the left hand side as if to push them down the precipice. The horses snorted and struggled down the stony, narrow track braying fearfully. The doctor drew his coat closer over his slight chest and the rainwater ran in rivulets under the rickety wheels. A wolf howled outside, its cry made distant by the thick shield of rain. The black, medical bag slid from under the feet of the stocky apprentice to hit the doctor’s feet. Both passengers smelt the pungent odour of tired horse before noticing the carriage had picked up speed as it travelled downhill. Another thunderclap caused them to jump and although the companions wished the silence, in the carriage, to be broken neither dared speak.

Their descent abruptly ended as the cart drew up to the bank of the lake. The six animals stopped. A whip cracked. The carriage moved forward a few inches and stopped again.
“Yah!” cried the coachman, another whipping noise cut the air but the wooden box did not move. The driver sighed and twitched the reins, they pawed the ground and bucked in the presence of the immense, white castle. The black lake created perfect contrast and lightning silhouetted the flags on top of twin towers.
“What’s going on out there?” barked the doctor irately.
“Somthin’s spooked ‘em. Don’ worry sir, I’ll get ‘em inside.” Assured the driver confidently sliding from his seat to comfort his horses and lead from the front.
“He’d better, we’re that baby’s only hope, the last chance for this bloodline. Nothing shall stop us getting to him.” A shudder ran down the doctor’s spine as he spoke.
Another howl shook his insides and he peered cautiously out of the tiny glass window. Lightning had struck the castle before he saw the pack. He gasped at the scene before him.
“What is it sir?” whispered the apprentice.
“The young Lord. His room has just been ripped from the castle!” the doctor exclaimed, horror dripping from his words.
The apprentice immediately squinted out of the other window to see flames licking the roof.
The carriage struggled forward, the coachman talked to the horses with urgency as if a gun was to his head. The attention of the passengers was drawn to the slowly advancing pack of bloodthirsty wolves. Drool trickled over their jaws to join the rain on the floor. Snarling and growling like creatures possessed they leapt onto the carriage. The horses had been forced as far as halfway over the bridge before fangs closed around their throats. A blood-curdling scream escaped the dying driver’s body, he fell sideways and broke through the bridge to splash into the river below. A wolf fell with him but seven remained to tear at the horses’ warm flesh.
An earth shaking crash rocked the carriage as the tower finally collapsed. Giant waves gathered speed and size until smashing into the decaying drawbridge. It splintered under the wolves and they, along with the horse carcasses, were washed away. The doctor and his apprentice leapt out of their carrier and scrabbled to reach the bank. They lay panting on the ground before realising they were stranded. The nearest town was two whole days walk away and they had no way to reach the castle except by swimming, a foolish and desperate move whilst electricity haunted the skies.

A faint call drifted over the lake that was still once again, concealing the unfortunate deaths of many. The men sat up to identify the source of the voice.
“Please. Help my baby. My baby’s not stirring.” A pale, frightened woman rowed across the lake with strength unmatchable to her frail form. A silent and unmoving child, wrapped in linen, lay safely on her lap.

Three people stood around a makeshift crib. They were as silent as the babe that had been pronounced dead by the experienced doctor. A single tear ran down the woman’s cheek. The room was small, round and lit by seven white candles and there was little to see in it. Threadbare tapestries hung on the walls, the faded colours were once royal reds and blues, they portrayed each lord and lady to reside in the ancient castle. The only furniture, a bed and table that served as a pedestal for the crib, were common and worn, made of pine and covered by stained, white cloth. The woman sniffed before crumpling into a heap on the floor. The doctor sighed and moved to stand in front of the greasy window. A large bat flew by. The apprentice covered the baby in a silken fold and placed the lid of the straw basket firmly over the top, he then knelt to comfort the woman.

Continuing to look out over the dark forest the doctor saw the same bat swoop past the window. A candle to his right flickered for a moment before going out. He frowned. There was no draft to cause that. The bat swept past the window again. The man’s gaze flicked to the opposite side of the tower where there was stationed a second window, equally as dirty. The black shadow passed, he was no longer sure it was a bat. The candle under the oldest, blue tapestry went out, he realised that the candle to his right had been under the oldest drapery in the room.

The shadow slowed its circling around the tower and the doctor was sure he saw a human face, as black as the clouds above. A third flame danced and died. There were seven tapestries in the room and that was the third oldest. The shade circled them four more times and as each lap of the tower room was completed another candle would cease to be alight. Each one that went out was under the next oldest embroidery. The darkness merged into the gloom around it when it entered the room. An eerie green glow emitted from the baby’s temporary coffin, the dark creature was nowhere to be seen.

The deceased child lifted the lid and rose into the air. From where he stood the doctor could see the window behind the basket, the same green light crept up the window pane until a hand stretched up to grasp the ledge. The baby’s eyes narrowed and his mouth gaped. An entity of another existence spoke through him.
“Afraid. You were all afraid. She who mothered this child was afraid to talk to her husband on the night he threw himself from this tower. Afraid were you John Lowe, to save your friend as her died with the horses he’d cared for all his life, even with a gun under your seat. And afraid you were Dr, when the hospital, where you worked with many, caught fire and burned to a crisp, taking with it many lives. All of you were afraid of death even when others were not and now your cowardice will be punished.”

Bodies of the dead clawed at the glass panes. Hitting them with such force that they shook in the walls. The three people ran to the door and pulled the handle, all fell back when it popped from the wood. The baby cackled demonically as they quivered on the floor. The black shadow flew back and forth in the room, appearing and disappearing through the walls. Fear in the room was so strong it could be smelt. The tapestries bled onto the floor. The baby’s basket filled with poisonous snakes and the bed moulded into a rack. The animated corpses could be heard braying and screeching outside. Lightning continued to strike the castle. The wolves’ howls had returned. The apprentice cried and repeatedly muttered ‘I’m sorry’. The doctor tried to beg for forgiveness and the woman merely tried to block the sights and sounds from her head. All of a sudden everything was silent; then, with a tremendous crash, the bedroom window shattered.